When spring’s flowering trees and shrubs start winding down, landscapes can fall short on color – unless you plan ahead. Shrubs that begin blooming as spring comes to an end provide beauty and color just when you need it. These five low-maintenance flowering shrubs light up landscapes with months of summer blooms. As an added bonus, these beauties are pollinator favorites, too. Anthony Waterer Spirea The red-purple tint of Anthony Waterer spirea’s new spring foliage hints at

What's not to love about plants that perfectly fit low-maintenance lifestyles and water-wise ways? Succulent plants can store water, giving them added resilience against drought and heat. One of our favorite groups of low-maintenance succulents are the hardy sedums – especially beloved by succulent lovers in northern climes. Give these sedums full sun and enjoy their fleshy, water-storing leaves plus bonus flowers and abundant color. These five selections are cold-hardy to at

There may be a lot of hungry rabbits and deer in your area, which means damage is near for your plants and garden. Check your existing plantings for feeding. Chicken wire is a quick fix to prevent more feeding. On shade trees, if you notice rabbit or mouse damage on the bark, you can wrap smaller trunks with aluminum foil for a quick fix, but next fall remember to use something more permanent for the winter months. If you live in an area where deer are abundant, you know just

Deadheading annuals and perennials will keep them clean and blooming again and again. Don't forget to cut some and enjoy them indoors too! Annuals will throw more flowers if watered when necessary, and kept regularly fertilized. Keep new plantings of perennials watered through the fall season making sure they get about an inch of water a week or do a nice deep soaking about every two weeks (depending upon the soil type and weather conditions). Roses should be deadheaded as ne